Almond Pomegranate Black Bean Brownies

Intensely chocolatey and fudgy almond pomegranate black bean brownies made completely in the blender with no flour or butter and topped with toasty pecans.

Is it time to start talking and posting all things Christmas yet? Is it too early? Yes? No? Maybe?

I’m fully aware that the American Thanksgiving is in 8 days so most of you are focused on that and not Christmas but listen… my Thanksgiving was over a month ago and while I have tried my absolute best to keep the Thanksgiving/regular everyday food thing going here… I really can’t wait anymore. I’m baking aaaaallll the Christmas things, watching all the Christmas movies and listening to Pentatonix and Michael Buble like it’s nobody’s business. And no, I’m not sorry about it.

I don’t totally know if these almond pomegranate black bean brownies necessarily classify as Christmas baking but I’ve always associated almond extract with Christmas. It’s basically the only time we ever baked with it for things like empire cookies, thumbprints and sugar cookies so for me, almond extract = Christmas.

A little while ago I started making oatmeal with dark cocoa, almond milk, almond extract and pomegranate seeds and when I started craving my black bean brownies (that I’ve been making for years and were a huge hit at the bakery), I decided I needed to have the same flavors in brownie form. While I was making them I decided last minute that I wanted to top the brownies with pecans because A) Pecans are also quintessential Christmas things and B) Pecans on top of baking get all toasty and delicious and I like to pick them off before eating whatever it is it was on top of. Sure, almonds probably would have been the obvious nut to put on top of them but I like toasted pecans so pecans it was.

Now I know black bean brownies aren’t new to you guys. Everybody knows about the magical black bean brownies that don’t use any flour, they’re fudgy, chocolatey and oh so addicting but no single recipe I’ve ever seen has ever been the same. Honestly? I’ve had my fair share of black bean brownies and it took me a solid couple of months to get this recipe right. All of the ones I tried always had a very obvious ‘beany’ taste and often turned out a bit dry or just, well, gross. Every recipe I tested on my very picky sister was basically garbage until the day I made these ones and we’ve never looked back.

What we’re using for the base is 3 TBSP of coconut oil, 3 large eggs, 2 cups of cooked black beans (canned or not, I don’t care), some vanilla, a pinch of salt, some baking powder, unrefined cane sugar and dark cocoa powder. It’s all thrown in the blender and blended until completely smooth. From there you can kind of go wild with what you want your add-ins to be. I usually just add some good ol’ chocolate chips and call it a day but today we’re going with some almond extract, fresh pomegranate seeds and some roasty toasty pecans. It spends 35 minutes in the oven and then you leave it to cool completely in the pan which I should emphasize. Leave it in the pan. If you try to lift it out while it’s still hot or even quite warm, I can’t guarantee it won’t all break apart and make a big mess. A delicious, fudgy, chocolatey mess mind you… but a mess nonetheless.

Practice some patience, let them cool completely then you can lift them out and cut them in to whatever desired size you want or hell, eat it right from the pan like I’ve done so. many. times. I’m not judging.

I recommend storing them in an air tight container or tightly wrapped in your fridge to help extend their lifespan. I’ve found these typically start goin’ south after 3 days on the counter but will stay fresh for a solid 6 days in the fridge. PLUS from the fridge, they’re somehow fudgier and basically you just die and go to heaven every time you eat one.

Grease and line an 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.

In a high powdered blender, combine the first 8 ingredients in the order listed. Blend on high until mixture is completely smooth, stopping the scrape down the sides if necessary. You may nee to blend for a couple of minutes.

Add the baking powder and blend again until completely incorporated.

By hand, stir in ½ cup pomegranate seeds then pour the batter in to prepared baking pan. Top with remaining seeds and pecans and bake, on the middle rack, for 35 minutes or until the center feels just set but still jiggles ever so slightly when you move the pan.

Allow to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack then carefully remove the brownies by grabbing the sides of the parchment paper.

Cut in to desired size squares and store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 6 days.

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I’m Amanda Reynolds. A wife, cook, baker, pretend picture taker and lover of all things fall.
There is something magical about taking simple ingredients and creating a comforting, cozy meal or delicious, homey baked good. There is little else that can ease my stress or lift my spirits more than the act of creating something with my own, small hands. Read More

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I’m Amanda Reynolds. A wife, cook, baker, pretend picture taker and lover of all things fall. I hope you’ll follow along as I cook delicious healthy food, try to live a more compassionate life and hopefully start each day a little better than we were yesterday.